The lodge was organized in Roxbury, Massachusetts, on February 10, 1776, by Connecticut soldiers in the Continental Army. It met when and where it could during the Revolutionary War. By tradition, the lodge's name and seal were suggested by Benjamin Franklin and the seal was engraved by Paul Revere. Many of the lodge members settled in the Marietta area following the war. On June 28, 1790, the lodge was reorganized in Campus Martius under its original warrant held by Past Master Capt. Jonathan Heart, commandant of Fort Harmer.